The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in the background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Many individuals carry mobile computing devices with them at all times. In emergency situations, individuals can use mobile computing devices to contact help, e.g., by calling a provider of emergency services (such as a hospital, police station, fire department, etc.) or calling an emergency contact (such as a relative or a significant other). Under ordinary operation, a user cannot place a call to a user's personal contacts without unlocking the mobile computing device (e.g., via a password, via fingerprint identification, via facial recognition software, etc.), which can cause problems in situations where the user needs to place an emergency call. To partially solve such problems, many mobile computing devices allow users to bypass a lock screen to place emergency calls to emergency dispatch center numbers (e.g., 9-1-1 calls). For example, a user who is borrowing another user's mobile device may be unable to unlock the device because he or she cannot provide the password or proper fingerprint or facial identification associated with the mobile computing device, but such user may nonetheless place an emergency 9-1-1 call. Even when a user desires to call an emergency dispatch center, however, the user must interact with the screen to place such call. Placing such an emergency call will typically also result in activation of a speaker of the mobile computing device, either before or during the emergency call. Interacting with the screen and activating the speaker may put the user at further risk during some emergency scenarios. Moreover, even when a user is able to unlock the mobile computing device or place an emergency call without unlocking the device, the process of placing such call may add unnecessary time to the process of notifying an emergency contact, which can be detrimental in an emergency situation where an immediate response is needed.
Currently, some mobile computing devices solve these problems by allowing users to bypass password or identification requirements when placing emergency calls to emergency dispatch centers. In one example, holding down or repeatedly pressing an external button of the mobile computing device will cause the mobile computing device to bypass password or identification requirements and display a screen including a prompt for the user to confirm whether or not he or she intends to begin an emergency call (e.g., by tapping or sliding the prompt via the touchscreen of the mobile computing device). If the user does not confirm whether or not he or she intends to begin an emergency call via the prompt displayed on the screen, a countdown begins and an alert sounds, so the user knows the emergency call will commence shortly and can stop it if needed (e.g., if the button was held down or repeatedly pressed accidentally). Once the countdown ends, the mobile computing device automatically calls emergency services.
However, this solution presents its own problems. For example, in some types of emergency scenarios (such as, e.g., a kidnapping, a burglary or robbery, a mugging, an active shooter situation, etc.), a hostile perpetrator may react violently if he or she notices a victim or potential victim attempting to place an emergency call. Consequently, anything that draws attention to the fact that a user is placing an emergency call (e.g., instances in which users must tap or slide a prompt via a touchscreen, flashing screens, loud alerts or countdowns, etc.) can be dangerous or even fatal to a user in an emergency situation involving a hostile perpetrator.
Additionally, if a young child takes a parent's mobile computing device, the child can easily unintentionally initiate an emergency call by playing with the external buttons of the mobile computing device and holding down or pressing the buttons repeatedly. Moreover, flashing screens or loud noises coming from the mobile computing device as a result of pressing or holding the buttons may only encourage a child to continue pressing or holding the buttons. Consequently, unnecessary emergency calls may be placed, wasting the time and resources of providers of emergency services, and diverting their attention away from real emergencies.